Thread: Help with scale id please

Hi all firstly sorry for not doing a introduction post I will sort one later. Could someone help I was sold this razor being told that the scales are ivory but they look too yellow to me what do you think?

They look like celluloid or some sort of synthetic to me:

ivory is usually much thinner/flatter
ivory usually does not have washers under the pins ('collarless' pinnings)
the colour is wrong - ivory yellows, but this is very even

There are other tests (smell when abraded/filed, hot-pin test, presence of schraeger lines, etc) but these look so non-ivory I don't think you have to bother with any tests. If you really want to confirm, I would just heat the end of a pin and see if it penetrated on the inside of the scales, in an unobtrusive place. Providing the pin is hot enough it will penetrate plastic/synthetic scales, but it will not penetrate ivory.

Regards,
Neil

Celluloid is the common fake ivory material for these razors. It's a type of old plastic they use to use. I find scales like these to still be very beautiful. Celluloid is also prone to cell rot. The material starts to break down and will give off a gas that actually starts rusting the blade. Yours looks like it hasn't got to that point yet and are still in very good condition. That's a nice king cutter you got there. They are lovely razors.

I just tried the heat test I heated a pin till it was red so clearly hot and it did nothing to it at all except burn my fingers the inside of the scales looks a lot lighter like the outside has been painted

What did the pin test smell like? Chemicals or burning hair?

I'm almost certain that these are a synthetic (celluloid or not). The scales are very thick to be ivory, the color is off, this faux style puts very strong Schreger lines in (they stand out more than in real ivory, and probably don't have the right 3d/surface look), the pins have collars, and this exact type of faux was used on a lot of razors around this age. Without inspecting it in person I wouldn't know for sure, but from all the clues I'd say faux ivory.

It feels like plastic to me shame really but it's a nice razor and this doubles my amount of straights to two

Originally Posted by Hairykopite

It feels like plastic to me shame really but it's a nice razor and this doubles my amount of straights to two

Yeah, it's absolutely gorgeous, and King Cutters are great razors. Enjoy the shaves!

Thanks all I shall do a proper intro later

Are you sure that the pin was hot enough? Steel is a great conductor of heat - you are supposed to hold the pin in pliers or stick it in a cork then get the head glowing. If you can withstand the heat with your fingertips, odds are it isn't to going to melt plastic.

Maybe the outside of the scales are yellower than the inside due to them getting more contaminated with air-borne pollutants like cigarette smoke and acids, etc from peoples hands, etc.

Still - if they are ivory, I would be very pleased for you!

Regards,
Neil

My first reaction was celluloid and I think I'd just about lean that way on balance but I've never seen faux ivory with such irregular lines. Whatever the scale material, it's a lovely blade.